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Music Workstations: Getting Organized

Workstations are actually learning stations in your
classroom.Workstations used to be
called “centers” and I tend to use the terms interchangeably.Teachers that use workstations with their
classes have more time to teach small groups of students.Wouldn’t it be nice to sit down for ten
minutes with a group for three or four children and listen to the sing, tutor
them on recorder or just to connect with them?As music teachers we have such a limited with our students anyway.We need every single minute we can get and
workstations are a great way to use those minutes to their fullest potential.

When I plan workstations, I usually plan them around a
concept or theme that I am teaching.In
third grade we do Star Spangled Banner workstations.In second grade we do Carnival of the Animals
centers and 4th-6th grades use centers to practice pitch
names and compose and play in small groups.Many other teachers use centers to explore elements of music like form,
melody, rhythm, dynamics, etc…You may
have to experiment to see what works best for you.

I love creating musical activities for my students to
explore at workstations.This is the
first in a series of three
blog posts that I’ll use to share what I do in my classroom.Be sure to check back soon for the next
addition to this series.Today we’re
going to talk about getting organized for workstations.It doesn’t matter if you’ve never
experimented with them or use them every week, in order to be successful you
must plan for success!

First take a look at your classroom.You don’t need much space to do centers, but
you do need to clearly define that space.For example, four chairs in a circle can be a workstation.Four clipboards, some pencils and a stack of
papers can be a workstation.Three
upside down buckets and a box of Boomwhackers can be a workstation.

Sketch out your room and tentatively plan 4-6 places that
you could use.I usually do this on a
scrap of paper, but once upon a time I sketched out my room in PowerPoint using
shapes and now I can use it for all sorts of things.You
could also try Class Architect.This
handy dandy teacher tool lets you rearrange or design your classroom from the
comfort of your recliner.

This is the way my classroom is usually setup. The chairs are set up in such a way that I can be near most students in just three or four steps. I use chairs most classes with 4th, 5th and 6th grades and the lower grades are usually on the carpet. Sometimes the chairs are stacked and out of the way for movement or workstations.

No, I don't actually do 8 workstations at a time with most classes. Usually I do 4-6. I wanted to have a plan for more than that so that I had options. Sometimes I want students to be near the Boomwhackers or rhythm instruments, sitting around my bookshelf or on the carpet with iPads. After sketching it out I found lots of places for stations!

While you are planning consider these things

1.We make
music.Sometimes this sounds like noise
to the untrained ear.Sometimes to the
undisciplined child it IS making noise.Plan to separate noisy activities so that it doesn’t become a contest to
see which group can be the loudest.

2.Specify specific areas for each station.Designate specific spaces for each workstation
by turning 4 chairs together, using a student desk to organize supplies, laying
down a tablecloth or rug or rearranging classroom furniture.When I stack my chairs up and push them out
of the way for centers I will throw down a tablecloth to designate the area I
expect them to stay in.I use the
plastic kind with a flannel backing.They wash easily and stay in place.

3.It is likely that students will need supplies
like pencils and clipboards in more than one workstation.How will that work?Will you put the supplies in each station?Will there be a central place for students to
get supplies?

4.Not every station needs to be hardcore, higher
level thinking, essay writing, sonata composing types of activities.Plan at least one ridiculously fun
station!Sometimes it DOES cause an
incredible amount of higher level thinking, but the kids will just think it is
fun.

5.If you teach multiple grade levels during the
day think about how your set-up can be modified to be useful with varying age
groups.

6.Don’t forget to plan how you will store all of
your supplies.I started with just a few
folders and 2 Bop-Its.Now?Well…I love workstations so much that I have
had to expand my storage space and find a way to organize that allows me to
quickly find and set-up5-6 centers in
about 5 minutes.

Organize Your Class Time

·Plan a series of centers and devote 10-15
minutes each class period.Students
rotate to a new station at the end of each class period.If you choose this method, be sure to keep
track of which activities each group has completed.This doesn’t work well if you only see your
kids for 30 minutes at a time.

·Create centers to focus on a concept you are
working on:“Star Spangled Banner”,
identifying pitch names, musical opposites, etc…Plan to do these centers for 1 or 2 class
periods (45-60 minutes) or 3 to 4 class periods (for 30 minute classes).When
working with this kind of set-up take time to go through each center describing
the activity and your expectations before dividing into groups.

·Plan centers that focus on a variety of areas
like singing, composing, moving, reading music, writing, listening, etc...These centers could be used with multiple
grade levels by slightly altering the activities.

Picking Groups

·Do it!
Pick them yourself! You know who can work together.Your classroom does not have to be a democracy.

·Use an app to create groups.Try Happy Class or Teacher’s Pick.

·If you plan on keeping the same groups all year,
ask students about their preferences before you begin.On a small slip of paper have them write who
they would like to work with and who they would not like to work with.It still won’t be perfect, but it may make
you aware of some relationships to avoid.

Keeping TimeIf you are doing multiple centers in one day, introduce
the centers first and then divide students into their first rotation.Once they are in their first center divide
the remaining amount of class time by the number of centers you have set
up.This is how many minutes they’ll
have at each one.Plan a couple of extra
minutes after the last one for clean-up.

Project these free timers so the class can see how much
time they have left at each station:

Do you use workstations in your music class? What are some of the ways that you organize for success? Let me know in the comments section or link me up to pictures or posts on the topic. I'm always ready to learn more about workin' the workstations.

6 comments:

Thank you for posting this. I don't know where you find the time, energy or resources for all you do but I am very happy that you do! Thank you for sharing with all of us. I love your TpT items also. Thanks again.

I love this! I usually have my students listen for me to play an instrument (maraca, slide whistle, etc) so they know when to switch stations. I tried Cool Timer, but my computer would not allow the file. The file name has a similar name to a virus that cropped up a few years back.